Pipe shaping apparatus



March 18, 1952 c. R. CROSON 2,589,541

PIPE SHAPING APPARATUS Original Filed Feb. 14, 1946 7 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOF? f QM);

- ATTORNEYS March 18, 1952 c. R. cR'osON 2,589,541

PIPE SHAPING APPARATUS- Original Filed Feb. 14, 194 7' Sheets-Sheet 2 E l;i 5 Y |-vE +oR VIII/Ill///////////////IIIIIIL 'IIIIII/II/l/I ATTORNEYS March 18, 1952 c. R. CROSON 2,539,541

PIPE SHAPING APPARATUS Original Filed Feb. 14, 1946 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 INV NTOR 6&4; 6mm BY I ATTORNEYS March 18, 1952 c. R. CROSON 2,589,541

PIPE SHAPING APPARATUS Original Filed Feb. 14, 1946 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR BY mffl ATTORNEYS March 18, 1952 C. R. CROSON c. R. cRosoN PIPE SHAPING APPARATUS Original Filed Feb. 14, 1946 March 18, 1952 7 Sheets-Sheet '7 Ram/W w? m AT TORNEYS Patented Mar. 18, 1952 UNITED PATENT v OFFICE 589,5 PIPE vSHi AR filyde 1i; Groson, Wheeling, W. Va. Qriginal application February 14, 1946, Serial No- 59,503, now Patent No. 2,563,214,, dated August 5-1; Divi e a s ap lication Ap i 5 1950, Serial N 151,979

6 Cieims- (Cl. 153-1 This invention relatesto a. novel appara us for shaping andforrning pipe or other metal ubes from elongated flat blanks o .sltelp preparato y .to the stage of weldin the open longi udinal seam thus formed n o a cl sed pipe or tub Thi application a division of my .eupendins a pl estion serial No. 647, 03, filed Februa y 14, .1946 Patent No. ,563,2l4 granted Au ust I, 19.51. in which the entire appara us is described and claims have been addressed to thes sta es o the apparatus primarily co erned w th the Weldin f th pip seam.-

The general object of; the prese t invent on is to form tubular pipe iernnreh a ed.-steei into shape suitable for immed ate we din the pi e having been sha ed by successive st ps and m ans des ned to provide such ar i l ee o stresses, strains or deformations, and of uniform wall thickness, According to my invention the pipe thus formed preparatory to clo ure by wel ing will have been un formly r duced in wal thickness durin the stages .of -,,r.ol .in and bendin it om flat to k to tubular stock, and the grain of t e steel wi not have b e injured The e emo n n all thic ness islie d to h m ni um.-

My inv ntion is especially useful theiorma tion of tubu ar p pe from h avy gau e sk lp, the working o w ch in a y continuous presets is y d ffi ult.

Other objects and purposes will appear from t s specification and from an exam nat on of the accompanying drawings, which;

Fi ure 1 represents in d a ram. a s de elevatio of a .mill or machine embo yin my in ention;

Fi ure 2 is an end elevation of the first pair of rolls. show n in cross-section a slab of sk lp gripped between the rolls;

I Fi ure ,3 shows th form o th skelp as it passes the rolls illustrated in Figure 2;

Figure 4 a cross-se tion o the mill taken ubstantially .on the line Av-4v of Figure 1, and showing in vend velevation the first forming or breakdown roll and its opposed anvil and also showing. in dotted. cross-section, the skelp in-position; V

Figure 5 shows th Iormof the: shelp as it passes the roll illustrated in Figure 4';

Fi ure ,6 is a cro seseetien o h m ll taken substantially on the line -.-6 of Figure l, and showing in end elevation the firstpair of for-n3; ing rolls and also showing, in dotted cross-section, the skelp in position; I

Fi u e s o s t form o the. sk l es i pa se t e roll il u t a ed nFisure 5;-

Figure 8 is a cross-section of the mill taken substantially .on the lineflrli of Figure 1, showing in and elevation the seconddumbsbell roll with its opposing anvil and also showing, in dotted crossrsection, the. skelp in position;

Figure 9 is a ,crossrsection of the skel-p showing the form it assumes upon passin under the roll illustrated in Figure 8; t s

Figure 10 is a cross-section of. the mill take substantially on the line iii- D of Fi ure l; and showing in end elevation; th s eond pairof io-rming rolls and also showing, det e 'eress-seetion. the skelp positi n b twe n said 1 1 s Figure 11 shows the form of the skelp as it passes the olls i lustrated in Figur v1.

Fi ure 1. is an end ele ation at the hird Pair o o m n roll illustratin d e s-se tion a por o of the mandrel s own n i ure 1 an also, d tted s e s-se tion; th s l in s tion be weensaiii rolls; and

Fi ure 413 i a cros ection o t e h a ormed y he ro s of F u 'Ih ari us Pa t o m in ent on a e mounte n a nd ion 3 Standin u o said unda on a th to a d nd the eo i a sin '3? in which is horizont ll J'eu neie a ai of ro s 33 n 4 oi o a cv nd iee nst et oi designed to be geared to a driving mechanism in?! QWZU- k wi e m e u n th 9 n 3? fe -w d o the b o the rolls 3 and i b means o a ai of br cke s i a ta le 35 e i ed to rece v t e appr a hing k lp 3 Wh Qh 1.1% b n h p d i9 @Qlillg em er u e i a fu nace which i not hown) and direct it in o the bite o t e rol s- M unied upon the t ble 3 near ea h side i a u membe 38 si ned t en er he ske p it apPreaQ-he th ii a S id rolls are intended ot on y is as is i d vi he skelp th ough the ma hin b t ls o m l i lifl i t fil s le to a s r 1 being of ubstant al u i o m h e i es as i Pa s id roll 'ThiilJififiW-I? applie byi ils ii 4 is a justed loyscrews 8 3. The function of rolls 33-34 is therefore to assure starting with a perfect ei Mounted upon the foundation 3 I, to the rear of the housing 32 is an anvil 39, the forward horn of which approaches the surface of the roll 34 e'er th use: pa t thereof (es she-W11 i Figure l at 33A) so as to receive and supportthe hot skelp 3 s i mer e r he ,ii ll n -34 h skelp, being very hot at that point in'its progress through the machine and, indeed, until it has passed the rolls illustrated in Figure 10, it would tend to sag'if not supported. Journaled above the anvil 39 is a break-r-downfloridumbi-bell roll 40,

so positioned with reference to the anvil 39 that, as the skelp 31A passes between it and the anvil 39, there is imparted to the skelp the invertedchannel form illustrated in Figure 5. The upper portion of the anvil 39 upon which the hot skelp rides is preferably made hollow (as shown in dotted lines at 39B in Figure 4) so that it can be cooled by water supplied to an opening 6| in one end of the anvil. The water escapes from the interior of the anvil through a vent 42 placed near the top of the hollow portion of the anvil. The rear horn 39C of the anvil 39 supports the skelp against sagging until it reaches the roll 43.

It will be noted that roll 40 and anvil 39 are designed and operate to impart an initial bend,

at the central longitudinal section of skelp 31A Without, however, rolling or compressing said skelp at this particular stage.

As seen in Figures 1 and 6, roll 43 and its coinpam'on roll 44 are journaled in a housing 45, likewise mounted upon the foundation 3| to the rear of the anvil39. Rolls 43 and are formed in such a manner as to increasesomewhat the depth of the channel imparted to theskelp by the dumb-bell roll 40. Its opposing roll 44 is re cessed through a portion of itssurface, as at 44A, so that the skelp 31B, in'pa'ssing between said rolls, is gripped and compressed only by the unrecessed portion of said roll. The rolls 43 and 44 are intended to be driven by power, so as to assist in forcing the skelp through the machine in addition to imparting some additional flxion to it.

A second anvil 46 is mounted upon the foundation 3| to the rear of the rolls 43 and 44. In shape said anvil resembles the anvil 39, and it is similarly cooled by water supplied through the opening 41 and discharged through the over-flow vent 48. Journaled above the anvil 46 is a second dumb-bell roll 49 which'imparts some additional fiexion to the skelp 310 as it slides along the upper surface of the anvil 46, so that, upon passing the roll 49, the skelp has been bent into substantially the fornrshown in FigureQ. Roll 49, like roll 40; applies no substantial compression which would affect the wall thickness of skelp 31C.

To the rear of the anvil 46 there is mounted,

upon the foundation 3| a housing 50 in which is journaled a pair of rolls and 52. Upon leaving the rear horn of the anvil 46, the hot skelp is gripped by the last-mentioned rolls by which it is bent into substantially the form illustrated in Figure 11, that is, inverted U-shape. In addition to imparting to the skelp the additional flexion necessary to give it the form just mentioned, the rolls 5| and 52 are power-driven so as to assist in forcing the skelp through the machine or mill, and for the latter purpose the skelp 31D is gripped between that portion of the surface of the roll 52, indicated by the numeral 52A, and. thecorresponding surface of the roll 5|, the roll 52 being recessed at 523 so as to leave a portion of the skelp ungripped as it passes between said rolls.

Manifestly, the skelp will be compressed or thinned throughout that portion thereof gripped by the opposing rolls 5| and 52 between which it passes and, therefore, in order that a substan tially uniform thickness of the skelp may be maintained, the portion of the surface of the skelpgripped between the unrecessed surface of the roll 52 and its opposed roll 5| is intended to correspond with the portion of the surface of the skelp that was ungripped between rolls 43 and 44.

In other words, the width of the recessed portion 647,503; Mandrel 58 is mounted on an arm 51 Figure 1), the arm being pivotally mounted and tiltably adjustable by operation of lever confined between set screws 16 and Ti. As shown in Figure 12, mandrel 58 is cooled by water 19 entering through supply pipe 18. For the purpose of the present invention, the function of mandrel 58 is to support with a loose fit, the skelp, 31, during of the operation of rolls 59 and 60. Said mandrel receives, .at its forward end, the inverted U-shaped skelp, as it emerges from the rolls 59 and 5|, and guides it into the bite of the vertically journaled horizontal rolls 59 and 60 which are illustrated in detail in Figure 12. Said rolls are journaled, respectively, in housings 6| and 62, appropriately mounted upon the foundation 3| and adjustable toward and away from each other, as by means of a screw 63, in a manner well understood in the art. The peripheral surfaces of the rolls 59 and 60 are recessed into substantially semicircular channels 59A and 60A, so that the hot skelp 31E, when received there between, will thereby be bent around the mandrel 58 into substantially tubular form, as shown in Figure 13. At this point in the progress of the skelp through this machine, it is preferred that there remain a slight gap between the opposite sides or edges of the skelp, as is most clearly shown at 84 in Figure 13.

It should be emphasized that the rolls 59 and 66 are not adjusted so as to apply compression standing Figure 1, however, it will be noted that after leaving rolls 59 and 60 the skelp passes further along mandrel 58 and over a source of heat or torch 64 where it is taken by a pair oflaterally. adjustable bell guides and fed into welding rolls 5'! and 68. Guide 1|, mounted on bracket 69, is shown in Figure 1. The skelp, now formed and welded, then passes to delivery rolls 8| and 62 which with rolls 61 and 68 are journaled in housing 65.

Manifestly, some or all of the rolls in this machine may be power-driven, but since the methods and means of applying power to rolls in machines of this kind are well known in the art, and in order to avoid confusing detail in'the drawings and unnecessary prolixity in the specifications, the driving means are omitted.

Screws 83 are provided for each roll in order to regulate the pressure to be exerted by the various rolls upon the material being worked, in a manner also well known in the art, and said screws 83 are merely illustrative of devices well known.

Manifestly, pipe or tubing of any desired lengths and likewise of very heavy gauge and that to the extent that compressional rolling of the skelp is necessary, the apparatus of my invention is designed to apply such compression uniformly to all areas of the skelp. Also it will be seen that among the progressive stages of shaping the fiat blank of skelp into tubular form, there are bending stages where no compressional force is applied to the pipe, these stages being interspersed with other rolling stages, the sum total of which is to apply a uniform compression. Special attention is called to that pa t Of 1 3 invention which provides for a stage of rolling areas of the skelp approximately one-half of its total area, and a later stage which rolls the remainder of the skelp not rolled by the firstmentioned stage.

The precise design of rolls illustrated and described in Figures 2-12 is preferred, but is not essential to accomplish the broad objects .of the invention as will be understood from the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine for forming tubular pipe stock from fiat elongated sections of preheated'skelp, means for feeding said skelp through a series of shaping means, a first stage of shaping means consisting of an anvil supporting said skelp at approximately its longitudinal mid-section and breakdown rolls operating adjacent said anvil in a position adjusted to impart an initial inverted channel shape to said skelp along said mid-section, a second stage of shaping means consisting of a pair of complementary rolls shaped to apply a more acute angle in the inverted channel shape of said skelp, a third stage of shaping means consisting of an anvil supporting said skelpand breakdown rolls operating adjacent said anvil in a position adjusted to impart an arcuate shape along said longitudinal mid-section corresponding to the arcuate shape of the finished pipe, a fourth stage of shaping means consisting of complementary rolls shaped to form the skelp in the shape of an inverted U, a fifth stage of shaping means consisting of a supporting mandrel and a pair of rolls having semicircular surfaces shaped to form the skelp into substantially tubular form around the mandrel with an open seam composed of the opposed edges of said skelp.

2. In a machine for forming tubular pipe stock from flat elongated sections of preheated skelp, means for feeding said skelp through a series of shaping means, a first stage of shaping means consisting of an anvil supporting said skelp at approximately its longitudinal mid-section and breakdown rolls operating adjacent said anvil in a position adjusted to impart an initial inverted channel shape to said skelp along said mid-section, a second stage of shaping means consisting of a pair of complementary rolls shaped to apply a more acute angle in the inverted channel shape of said skelp, one of said rolls having a recess in its periphery out of contact with said skelp leaving the skelp to be gripped by the un-recessed portion thereof, a third stage of shaping means consisting of an anvil supporting said skelp and breakdown rolls operating adjacent said anvil in a position adjusted to impart an arcuate shape along said longitudinal mid-section corresponding to the arcuate shape of the finished pipe, a fourth stage of shaping means consisting of complementary rolls shaped to form the skelp in the shape of an inverted U, one of said complementary rolls having recessed portions in its periphery out of contact with said skelp leaving the skelp to be gripped substantially 'over a surface left up;- gripped during the second. stage of shaping, and a fifth stage of shaping means consisting of a supporting mandrel and a pair of rollshaving semicircular surfaces adapted to form the skelp into substantially tubular form around the man? drel with an open seam composed of the opposed edges of said skelp. V

3, In a machine for producing tubular pipe stool; from fiat elongated sections of preheated skelp, the said stock to be formed in tubular shape'with open seam preparatory to welding, including, in combination, means for supporting and advancing the skelp, compressional shaping means comprising at least one pair of compress sion rolls arranged on opposed sides of the skelp, said rolls being designed to increase the amount of bend in said skelp and being cooperatively shaped to compress a selected portion or theskelp area, for each such pair of said compression rolls there being provided another pair of bending and compression rolls likewise arranged on opposed sides of the skelp, said other pair of rolls also being cooperatively shaped to compress substantially the remaining portion of said skelp, and

-other non-compressional shaping means designed to bend the skelp progressively into said tubular condition without compressing any substantial area thereof.

4. In a machine for producing tubular pipe stock from flat elongated sections of preheated skelp, the said stock to be formed in tubular shape with open seam preparatory to welding, including, in combination, means for supporting and advancing the skelp, compressional shaping means comprising at least one pair of compression rolls arranged on opposed sides of the skelp, said rolls being designed to increase the amount of bend in said skelp and to compress a selected portion of the skelp area, one of said pair of compression rolls being recessed peripherally to avoid contact with the non-selected portion of said skelp area, for each such pair of said compression rolls there being provided another pair of bending and compression rolls likewise arranged on opposed sides of the skelp, said other pair of rolls being cooperatively shaped to compress substantially the remaining portion of said skelp, and other non-compressional, shaping means designed to bend the skelpprogressively into said tubular condition without compressing any substantial area thereof.

5. In a machine for producing tubular pipe stock from flat elongated sections of preheated skelp, the said stock to be formed in tubular shape with open seam preparatory to welding, including, in combination, means for supporting and advancing the skelp, compressional shaping means comprising at least one pair of compression rolls arranged on opposed sides of the skelp, said rolls being designed to increase theamount of bend in said skelp and to compress a selected portion of the skelp area, one of said pair of compression rolls being recessed peripherally to avoid contact with the non-selected portion of said skelp area, for each such pair of said compression rolls there being provided another pair of bending and compression rolls likewise arranged on opposed sides of the skelp, said other pair of rolls being designed to compress substantially the remaining portion of said skelp, one of said lastmentioned pair of rolls being recessed peripherally to avoid contact with the skelp area previously compressed by said first-mentioned set of compression rolls, and other non-compressional shaping means designed to bend the skelp progressively into said tubular condition without compressing any substantial area thereof.

6. In a machine for producing tubular pipe stock from fiat elongated sections of preheated skelp, the said stock to be formed in tubular shape, with open seam preparatory to welding, including, in combination, means for supporting and advancing the skelp, compressional shaping means comprising at least one pair of compression rolls arranged on opposed sides of the skelp, one of said rolls having a central peripheral recess out of contact with said skelp along the central longitudinal area of said skelp, causing said skelp to be compressed only byv the unrecessed portions of, said recessed roll adjacent the longitudinal edges of said skelp, for each such pair of said compression rolls there being provided another pair of bending and compression rolls likewise arranged on opposed sides of the skelp, said other pair of rolls being cooperatively shaped to compress said skelp substantially only over the central longitudinal area of said skelp which was left uncompressed by said first-mentioned set of compression rolls, and other noncompressional shaping means designed to bend the skelp progressively into said tubular condition without compressing any substantial area thereof.

CLYDE R. CROSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

